“After 3 1/2 long years, Cave In has decided to end its hiatus. Please join us for an EP release show at Great Scott’s (1222 Commonwealth Ave., Allston MA) on Sunday, July 19th @ 9PM. Also playing will be our friends Disappearer and Phantom Glue. Copies of the Planets Of Old limited 12″ (recorded by Adam Taylor, Alex Hartman & Johnny Northrup @ Camp St. Studio) from Hydra Head Records will be available that night.

We hope to see your lovely selves.

Steve, Adam, J.R., Caleb
CAVE IN”

Hell yes! I knew it would be long (seriously, this band sounds too awesome live to be separated forever). The visionary indie/space/hardcore/roc/metal legends are back and it’s good to see that J.R. Connors is in the saddle for the ride.

Expect a preoder of Planets Of Old to be up on Hydra Head’s online store any time now..

My favorite alt. rockers are back with some new noise, and I’m happy to report that it sounds very much like the Sonic Youth I love! “Sacred Trickster” is the first song to see a release from their latest album The Eternal, their follow-up to Rather Ripped, which hits stores on June 9th via Matador.. Tune in..

Local music fans look to be poised for one amazing year of psychedelic rock; within the fast few weeks, both Vampire Hands and Daughters of the Sun have uploaded new music from their forthcoming releases.

Vampire Hands are kind enough to present their listeners with two entire tracks streaming on their MySpace page for their soon-to-be-released Hannah in the Mansion full-length album. As someone who endlessly enjoyed the low-key psych rock of last year’s Me and You Cherry Red, this release is on my highly anticipated list; hearing these new songs hasn’t dampened my expectations at all. “Funny Stories” is a smoky, dark, sneering pop rock song that seasoned fans will be sure to appreciate, and “Invisible Stairs” is a new adaptation for VH – noisy, heavily layered orchestration and sound effects that retains their folksy charm but sees them progressing noticeably. Head to their site to listen in, and keep returning to Mind Inversion to see when we can expect an official release for Hannah in the Mansion!

Daughters of the Sun is a Minneapolis band that embraces psychedelia to an even more noticeable degree, and now their MySpace page is now hosting an excerpt of “The Long Way”, an extremely ethereal and meditative mirage of sound from the bands new album Ring that helped transport this listener to another dimension. Truthfully, the hallucinogenic rhythms and enchanting vocals are sure to only be a small precursor of epic noise adventure that is about to be released. This is an album to pay attention to, my friends! Follow the link below for a taste.

Isis is back. In only a few weeks, their new album Wavering Radiant will be officially unveiled, and this guy couldn’t be happier! Really, when it rains it pours; within a short 24 hour period I’m getting my ears on the first tastes of music from new Converge AND Isis – I think my head is about to explode. Isis just posted the song “20 Minutes/40 Years” over at their MySpace website (UPDATE: we’ve got a free MP3 linked below), and I’m now, for the indeterminate future, dutifully listening on repeat to this precursor of the divine psychedelic doom metal that is coming to everyone’s ears by April 21st. You’ll all likely just have to resign to the same lifestyle as well, and Isis seems to think it should be enough for now. In their words:

We feel this [“20 Minutes/ 40 Years”] is a good representation of [Wavering Radiant]. Our friend Matt Santoro is working on a video for this song which will be completed around the time of the records release. This is also the song we showcased on the ATP tour we did back in December. We hope you enjoy it. There’s lots of “ear candy” in this one, so be sure to listen on some headphones – or, better yet, wait until the vinyl is released for full sonic enjoyment.

In other obscure regions of the metal realm, it was a very busy weekend as well. A number of metal videos and songs that recently surfaced are posted below for your viewing and listening entertainment. Enjoy!

Cattle Decapitation – music video released this week for their first single (is it really called that for a grindcore band?) from The Harvest Floor, “Regret and the Grave“. It’s one that leaves little to the imagination; haunting, scary, sick’n’twisted, in-your-face blasting, grinding, gritty madness!

Amon Amarth – their second music video from their recent Twilight of the Thundergod is now available, created for the defiant Viking death metal battle hymn “Guardians of Asgaard“. The song features Petrov from Entombed, and the video is epic and fucking awesome (in plainspeak). Nothing more needs to be acknowledged other than the fact that Amon Amarth owns, and the video and new album are further proof of their exalted status.

You, You’re Awesome are set to release an EP tomorrow, entitled “You’re My Superhero”. I hadn’t really heard of these guys until today, thanks to an awesome preview over at And Music Will Set You Free, but now I’m completely in love. You, You’re Awesome creates some amazing electro-pop music that utilize vocals a bit different from most other acts like this. And that’s what sets them apparent, though similar to some other stuff out there, these guys still remain unique. I love the piano over-lays, and the in-and-out styled composition. The sound feels like it drifts from near to far away, giving the listener a unique experience. These guys rock, so check them out, and be sure to grab their EP tomorrow. Enjoy!